Ligue 1: Can Messi Rediscover Magic Touch at Metz?

Metz vs Paris Saint-Germain

Lionel Messi’s much-hyped arrival in Ligue 1 has not produced all that much magic for PSG thus far. The Argentine legend has yet to make his mark after two league appearances and was even subbed off in his home debut.

But even with Messi not at his best, PSG have still made a perfect start to the league campaign with six wins out of six. Messi and co. will look to extend that winning run to seven in a row against struggling Metz in a worst-vs-first clash in midweek.

Les Grenats currently find themselves in the bottom of the table with no wins from their first six games, and the Ligue 1 2021 betting odds will be heavily against them when the Parisians come to visit.

Talking Points

PSG remain perfect in Ligue 1 amid Messi drama

Paris Saint-Germain maintained their 100 per cent record to start Ligue 1 as they beat rivals Lyon 2-1 last weekend. Mauro Icardi came off the bench to score the winning goal in stoppage time.

It was the most competitive match PSG had played since their 2-1 win in their season opener against Troyes. They had won their previous four games by at least two clear goals, while scoring four goals in three of those games.

Paris Saint-Germain will rely on Mauro Icardi to net more winning goals against Metz in their Ligue 1 clash — Mauro Icardi celebrates scoring Paris Saint-Germain’s second goal against Olympique Lyonnais at Parc des Princes.

However, there was some controversy in that PSG win as coach Mauricio Pochettino took Messi off with a quarter of an hour left in the match. Messi was visibly not pleased by his fellow countryman’s decision to sub him out.

Afterwards, though, it was revealed that Messi had picked up a slight knock to his knee and Pochettino was merely taking extra precaution with his veteran superstar’s health.

Messi, PSG still a work in progress

But even when Messi was still on the pitch against Lyon, it still wasn’t completely clicking between him, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe, who failed to create too many Ligue 1 2021 highlights.

The three started together for the first time in the Champions League away to Club Brugge, who held them to a shock 1-1 draw.

Those three again started on the weekend in the big game against Lyon. But coach Mauricio Pochettino tweaked his tactics by going with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Messi playing through the middle and Angel Di Maria wide on the right.

Messi came close to getting his first goal with PSG as he hit the post with a free kick, but it appears clear he and the rest of the team still have work to do to produce the magical football many expect from them this season.

Messi’s injury does not appear to be too serious, but it remains to be seen whether Pochettino will continue to exercise caution and rest Messi in midweek.

If Messi is rested, PSG have a wealth of attacking options – with the likes of Icardi, Di Maria, and Julian Draxler – ready to take Messi’s spot in the lineup.

Metz failing to recapture last year’s magic

Similarly, Metz are finding it hard to recapture last season’s magical run, where they finished in 10th under coach Frederic Antonetti – their highest finish in the top flight since 1998-99. They are yet to pick up a win in their first six games, with three draws and three defeats.

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They suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Strasbourg over the weekend, with former star Habib Diallo scoring twice against his old club.

Metz’s attack was a weak point even last season – they scored just 44 goals in 38 games – and they are still struggling to score, with six goals in their first six games.

It was the defence that led to much of their success, but they are nowhere near as solid now. They have already conceded 13 goals and might ship a few more with Messi and co. coming for a visit.

History

The head-to-head record between PSG and Metz is about as one-sided as it can get. PSG have won each of their last 10 Ligue 1 meetings against Metz, as well as a cup tie in 2017.

PSG narrowly won 1-0 at home in their first meeting last season thanks to a stoppage-time winner by Julian Draxler. But they were more comfortable in the return fixture when they won 3-1 away, with Kylian Mbappe bagging a brace.

Betting Tip

	Metz vs Paris Saint-Germain	Over 3.50 @ 2.11
	September 23, 3:00 (GMT+8)

The SBOTOP odds for this top-vs-bottom clash is as one-sided as you would expect. PSG are massive 1.25 favourites, while Metz have astronomical 11.00 odds to pull off an upset. A draw is at 5.40.

It remains to be seen how many changes Pochettino will make to his PSG side for this midweek match – and if Messi is rested after the weekend’s dramatics. If he does play, this would be the perfect match for him to finally get off the mark in France.

Either way, though, this should end up being quite a comfortable win for PSG given Metz’s recent defensive struggles. With the depth of PSG’s attacking talent, don’t be surprised if they return to their free-scoring ways and score a handful of goals in midweek – with or without Messi.